The invention pertains to portable seating devices. More specifically, the invention relates to folding or collapsible seats which can be carried by outdoorsmen, such as hunters, and erected in the field.
There have been many variations on portable seats for hunters and other outdoorsmen placed on the market. Most of these seats are designed to be carried on the hunter's back, as in Rischar, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,985,387; or at the user's waist, as in Moody, 2,736,030, Amato, 3,895,839, or Caldwell, 4,232,896; or a combination of the two, as in Besch, 2,664,939. Although they have met with some success, all of these designs which hang from the user have tended to be bulky and heavy to carry, and uncomfortable to wear, the dangling seat tending to catch on branches and shrubs and hit the user on the legs. The straps required can be confining and a nuisance while wearing heavy clothing.
Moreover, many of the prior art designs have required a stump, log, or rock of convenient size (as in Pekala, U.S. Pat. No. 4,025,105 or Moody), or a spot of hard, level ground, as in Rischar. Such supports are often not to be found at the ideal location for hunting or birdwatching.
The collapsing designs are often complicated to use, and require parts which unfold (Amato or Caldwell) or telescope, or both (Rischar). This increases the weight to be carried, and diminishes the ease of use.
The solution to the problem of supporting the seat is to hang it from above, from the trunk of a tree, as in Woodward, U.S. Pat. No. 2,851,085. The Woodward invention is an improvement over the previously discussed designs, in that the user is shielded from the rear, and the seat does not need to be supported from the ground. Woodward, however, has a rigid frame which must be assembled before use, thus sharing the problems of complexity and weight with the other collapsible designs. The height of the seat is determined by the height at which the chain is placed on the tree, and is not adjustable. This poses problems when the seat cannot be strapped to the tree at the best height, for example because of branching. In transit, the seat is hung from the user's waist, with all of the problems previously discussed. The tilt of the seat is not adjustable. In common with other designs using metal parts, the chain and other metal parts of the Woodward seat tends to make noise as it is carried, which makes it undesirable to carry when stalking animals.
Thus, it is an object of the invention to provide an outdoors seat which can be suspended from any convenient tree, and which is fully adjustable, in that it may allow for variations in the girth of the tree, the height desired, and the tilt of the seat.
It is a further object of the invention to provide a fully adjustable, light seat for outdoorsmen which can be easily and quietly carried, as by putting it in user's pocket.
It is a still further object of the invention to provide a fully adjustable portable seat which can be easily used without complicated mechanical assembly.
Earlier versions of the product described herein were attempts by the inventor to achieve the objects described above. All versions of the product comprise a sling-type seat which may be suspended from a tree by an integral rope harness.
The design is light to carry, and rolls up into a small package which may easily be placed in a jacket pocket. It provides for adjustment of both the height of the seat above the ground and for the girth of the tree. There are no chains which generate noise which can frighten animals.
The only action required to use the seat is to unroll it and hook the rope strap around the trunk of the tree. No assembly is required.
The seat may also be used as a harness to enable the user to drag deer, sleds, skiers, or other heavy loads in the field.